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Special Report: Decoration Basics
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January 2009

Special Report: Decoration Basics
Decorator Guide

Use this handy overview to sell even more of the industry’s most popular decorating techniques.

By Shane Dale

This is a finished oversized print that goes over the T-shirt’s shoulder seams on SWF East’s Bullet DTG printer. The artwork was provided by Great Dane Graphics (RSN #139), a stock art company that specializes in artwork for digital printing. Note: Screen printing must have a belt press or a specially design press to do oversize printing.

Don’t panic when a client asks you what decorating method will be better for his logo: embroidery, laser bridge or screen printing. Get informed. These days, to be competitive, it’s essential for distributors to understand decoration basics, including general production processes, what each technique is best suited for and what it doesn’t work so well for, and how to sell it. Here are six of the most common decorating methods you’ll see on apparel in our industry today.

Screen Printing
The basics: One of the most popular and affordable methods of decoration for large-volume orders, screen printing takes artwork, which is typically computerized, and converts it into a film positive (a piece of clear polyester) that’s then taken to a washout booth and sprayed with water; the unexposed areas are washed away, turning it into a stencil.

Positives: “One of the appeals is it can handle larger runs,” says Johnny Shell, vice president of technical services at Specialty Graphic Imaging Association. “Once the initial setup is done, you can run thousands and thousands.” Screen printing is also a very durable method, according to Shell. “Some of the other technologies aren’t very durable,” he says. “With screen printing, the color doesn’t fade as rapidly.”

Drawbacks: For short runs, screen printing can be costly. “You’ve got to reach that price point before it becomes attractive,” Shell says. Screen printing may also not be suitable for home-based operations.

Marketing: The durability of screen printing, along with its ability to produce large orders in a short time frame and its wide color selection, should be sold to clients, Shell says.

Sequins are often paired with embroidery to create a multimedia design. Design from Hirsch International.

Digital Imaging (garment printing)
The basics: Digital imaging via direct-to-apparel printers is becoming increasingly popular for short runs. Compared to screen printing, garment printers are quieter and more compact, and use non-toxic, water-based inks, making them more environmentally-friendly.

Positives: “With digital, you can meet that short run,” Shell says. “There’s little setup involved. It’s almost as easy as a quick file print. Photo-realistic images are also easy to reproduce.”

Drawbacks: “It’s a higher cost per print,” Shell says. “Typically, you may be looking at a minimum of 50 cents per item for a left-chest logo, up to around $1 to $1.50 per shirt for a full logo. Digital is meant for that small run.” There are also certain colors that are unavailable, and garment printers require more maintenance time than most decorators.

Marketing: “It’s going to be most attractive to the low quantity guys who don’t like paying those charges,” Shell says. “Photo-realistic images are one of the fortes of garment printers; the resolution is phenomenal. It’s all about customization.”

Embroidery
The basics: One of the oldest and most trusted decorating methods, embroidery is the combination of fabrics stitched together to provide a permanent, high-quality decorating technique.

Positives: Simply put, embroidery equals high-end. “It conveys a certain level of quality when you have something embroidered,” Shell says. “That perception of when you see an embroidered piece – it’s a different level of embellishment.”

U.S. Screen Print & Inkjet Technology created this multimedia design of digital printed and embroidered race horses.

Drawbacks: It’s more expensive. It’s also not capable of producing any type of photo-realistic material.
Marketing: “Obviously, there’s that conveyance that this is a quality piece,” Shell says. “There’s a perceived quality aspect to it. It’s certainly permanent and it’s not going to fade or wash away.”

Laser Bridge
The basics: Laser bridge machines provide a quality alternative to embroidery. “It basically takes the laser and applies computerized movement to it,” says Henry Bernstein, North American director of SEIT Laser at Hirsch International. “It cuts directly on the garment the appliqués that used to be done by hand.”

Positives: Laser bridge machines are much faster than classic embroidery machines. “With the laser, you don’t have to buy the letters (to be embroidered) in advance; you just need the material in wide form,” Bernstein says. “The letter can be cut in seconds.”

Drawbacks: “I’m basically magnifying a light beam, so it’s cutting and burning, and I’m not going to be able to generate printed color,” Bernstein says. Laser bridge machines can only cut on flat plains.

Marketing: Maneuverability should be emphasized. “I can etch inside the letters, so now I can add more and I can do that in a matter of seconds,” Bernstein says. “I’m increasing the perceived value of the article and I’m reducing the production time.”

Stain Imaging
The basics: Stain imaging is the most popular of three decorating techniques called sgreenprinting. “It’s an eco-friendly alternative imagine technique for apparel,” says Tim Lunt, president of Tim Lunt Design Inc. “It’s all in a water-based medium. Acetones and related chemicals aren’t involved.”

This is Vintage Puff material from Imprintables Warehouse; your decorator can print four-color process on this material, which puffs up when it is heat sealed. It gives a cool vintage distressed look.

Positives: Stain imaging can reach certain parts of the garment that other decorating techniques can’t. “We can print over a three-button placket of a golf shirt, or the seam between the sleeve and the body of the shirt,” Lunt says.
Drawbacks: It isn’t as effective with certain garments. “We stay away from materials such as performance fabrics, with wicking agents similar to Scotchgard or stain-resistant treatments that resist stain imaging,” Lunt says. Fabrics that are 100% cotton are more likely to be effective.

Marketing: Pushing your client to participate in the green movement is a solid marketing strategy.

Multimedia
The basics: Multimedia design combines two decorating techniques to come up with an original product. Bernstein says, “For example, an embroidered duck over a screen printing of a pond just went from simple to a 3-D.”

Positives: “It adds a dimensional look, it achieves details that one media can’t do on its own and it has greater perceived value,” Bernstein says.

Drawbacks: “Multimedia requires additional equipment costs and some relative skills, and it adds application time,” Bernstein says.

Marketing: “The complexity of multiple media greatly raises its perceived value,” Bernstein says. Multimedia applications can be designed so specific that it can secure accounts, and this aspect alone is a huge factor.”

Hot Decorating terms

Here are some definitions of uncommon (but trendy) design terms.

1. Sgreenprinting: The umbrella term that includes stain imaging, 360 banding and smash printing from Tim Lunt Design Inc.
• Stain imaging: a tie-dye-like decorating method that offers the customization of design and modification of standard product color.
• 360 banding: a wrap-around banding method in which pieces can be designed to produce a variance throughout production.
• Smash printing: an eco-friendly alternative imaging technique that provides a natural, weathered look with a lightweight, dye-like stain that has its own unique character and inherent imperfections.

2. Laser bridge machine: a three-part tool that takes the laser and applies computerized movement, allowing for a cut directly on the garment. The three parts of laser bridge include laser cutting, laser etching and bitmap.
• Laser cutting: the process of cutting appliqué (either traditional appliqué or reverse appliqué) in which the decorator cuts the garment away, leaving the appliqué underneath.
• Laser etching: the process in which the laser runs back and forth across the garment, burning the garment while it etches.
• Bitmap: the process in which the decorator sends a laser across a garment in a burst of dots. The laser can intensify as needed, allowing the decorator to use gray tones and place a photographic image on the garment.

3. Multimedia: a decorating process that combines decorating media (such as screen printing and embroidery), which can give the garment a 3-D look.

Case Study: Pulling an All-Nighter

Whether it’s a distributor or a decorator, no one ever wants to turn down a job. Tim Lunt, president of Tim Lunt Design Inc., was facing that possibility with a recent order.

Lunt was offered a 2,000-shirt job for a racing event in Florida. The first problem: Lunt’s company is based in Utah, which added a full five shipping days to the order. This left Lunt three days to develop art, get it approved, execute the plate (a 12-hour process) and run the job – and Lunt’s schedule was already packed.

“Employees were called together to see if there was availability, willingness and collective agreement to work double shifts and take the job,” Lunt says. “All in agreement, we took the job.”

Since Lunt’s eco-friendly stain imaging technique differs considerably from screen printing (each stain-imaged piece is unique), the client was made to understand the time and labor involved. “Design worked late into the night, and it was approved the next morning with only one small revision,” Lunt says. “Since the plate took about 12 hours to machine tool, we decided to cautiously begin the necessary hand work while the machine was still in progress.”

Lunt’s team ordered pizza and prepared for a late night. “After we all hit a challenging tired spell, what we thought would be a double shift turned out to be an all-nighter,” Lunt says. “But when UPS showed up the next day, it was ready to go.”

By planning ahead and pushing other jobs to the next day, Lunt was able to fulfill this crucial order. “One very key element to pulling this off was the fact that we tried very hard to stay ahead of schedule – staying on top of things and moving ahead with the underlying mindset that if something like this does come up, we’re in a position to accept it,” he says.

Step By Step

Johnny Shell, vice president of technical services at Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, provides a step-by-step analysis of one of the most popular decorating processes available: screen printing.

1. There are two areas of prepress. One is the artwork, which is typically done on a computer. Then, it is output to a film positive, which is a piece of clear polyester with black areas that are very opaque and represent the particular color to be printed. “You can liken it to a screen door, but it’s made out of polyester that’s stretched and is attached to a frame system,” Shell says.

2. Once the mesh is attached to the frame, you’ll have a basic screen. To that, apply a liquid photo emulsion. In its unexposed state, it’s water-soluble, but when it’s exposed to light, it hardens.

3. Now you have your film positive that has its clear and opaque areas. The clear areas allow the light to pass through, hardening certain areas. The opaque parts stay water-soluble. Take it to a washout booth and spray it with water. The unexposed section washes away, allowing it to expose. You’ll be left with what can be considered a stencil.

4. Choose your colors. “Especially with garments, you’re not limited in colors,” Shell says. “They make 18-color carousel screen presses. Obviously, you’re going to pay more, but you can do that.”

Note: Screen printing allows for variations such as thick film stencils, high-density ink, and high deposits of photo-sensitive emulsion. “The thickness of the stencil allows for a thick deposit of ink, like you might see with Abercrombie & Fitch,” Shell says. “Add foil adhesives, beads or flakes to give a special effect.”

Understanding the Selling Process

Wearables conducted an interview with Gina Barreca, marketing director at Vantage Apparel (asi/93390), who discussed the decorating selling process.

Wearables: What are the top three decoration options distributors ask you for?

Gina Barreca: Embroidery, screen printing and digital printing.

Wearables: What should a distributor know about the turnaround time for each of those options?

GB: Our capacity for embroidery is very good. Our standard embroidery time is three days with an approved logo on file. We also offer same-day and next-day priority services. For screen printing, our standard lead time is four days. Digital printing is also four days, and those are all with approved logos on file.

Wearables: What are three more unique decoration options you wish they’d ask you for?

GB: Our newest additions are laser etching, laser appliqué and sequin embroidery.

Wearables: Which of those three seems to be the most popular right now? Why?

GB: The laser etching seems to be the most popular. It works great on high-pile fleece, the Nordic-type fleece. We have a lot of attention in that category, so that’s one of the best new options right now. The next is laser appliqué. Sequin embroidery tends to be for women’s garments only, so it tends to be for a smaller audience.

Wearables: Tell us about a specific example of how a distributor could pair the wrong decoration option with the wrong type of fabric or garment. How do you help distributors avoid this problem?

GB: Not all fabrics are compatible with all decoration methods. For example, our digital printing works best on white or light-colored garments with a high-cotton content. Laser etching is best suited for high-pile fleece, micro suede, denim and polyester. To help with selection, we offer a product embellishment guide that lists the recommended decoration types for each item in the Vantage catalog.

Wearables: How could a distributor pitch sequin embroidery to a client who only ever asks for embroidery?

GB: Showing a client some samples of various logos in sequins is a great way to gauge their interest before spending the money on logo development. Vantage keeps a sequin logo image gallery online and offers different swatches and random samples that can be used for presentation purposes.